Super sweet potatoes beyond marshmallow blitz
With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving only a few weeks away, it is time to start thinking about sweet potatoes. Until a few years ago I thought that the only way to serve sweet potatoes was to pour them out of a can, top them with maple syrup, butter, and marshmallows and bake them to serve with the turkey. However, in recent years I have learned that the versatile, nutritious sweet potato can be so much more.A colorful addition to many recipes, sweet potatoes are packed with a variety of important nutrients. Beta carotene, an antioxidant nutrient that may reduce your risk of stroke, heart disease, and cancer, gives sweet potatoes their beautiful orange color. Sweet potatoes are also an excellent source of fiber, which may reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease, too. Sweet potatoes are high in potassium and eating more potassium rich foods has been shown to help reduce high blood pressure. Like other plant foods, sweet potatoes are naturally low in fat and contain no cholesterol and sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin E.
Sweet potatoes can be boiled, mashed, baked, sautéed, and added to soups and stews. You can even eat sweet potatoes raw. Just peel them, cut them into sticks and enjoy them with your favorite low fat dip. Sweet potato sticks make a fun addition to football party and holiday relish trays and are a great way to get kids to try something new. Sweet potatoes are a great addition to soups, too. Add peeled and diced sweet potatoes to your favorite vegetable or bean soup recipe or stir them into chili. Season diced sweet potatoes, onions and red peppers with herbs and olive oil and roast them until they are tender for a delicious side dish for roast beef or pork.
Use sweet potatoes in recipes to replace white potatoes. Use diced, cooked sweet potatoes in your favorite potato salad or potato soup recipe. Boil sweet potatoes in chicken broth and use them to make mashed potatoes with skim milk and only a touch of butter. Thanks to the naturally rich flavor of the sweet potatoes you will never miss the fat. You can use mashed sweet potatoes for a new twist on Shepherd’s Pie, too. Sweet potatoes also make a delicious breakfast hash. To reduce the oil needed to cook your hash, boil cubes of sweet potatoes until tender but not cooked through before adding them to the skillet with onions, red peppers, and lean turkey bacon.
Of course, baked sweet potatoes are always a favorite side dish and with a few creative toppings they can go from sweet to savory and even become a main dish instead. Butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar are a popular topping for baked sweet potatoes, but loading up on butter and brown sugar can add unwanted calories and fat. Instead, split your baked sweet potato and lightly brush the top with just a teaspoon of melted butter, sprinkle with a good quality cinnamon and add just a touch of brown sugar. Return the dressed sweet potato to the oven until the toppings begin to brown for the rich flavor of your favorite side, but with a lot less fat. You can also try more savory toppings like roasted garlic, low fat sour cream or a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Topping a baked sweet potato with your favorite chili or with black bean soup can turn this traditional side dish into a filling and fiber rich meal.
Whether a side dish, a main dish or an addition to traditional recipes, sweet potatoes are a nutrient dense food that we should all eat more often. So think beyond the marshmallows this fall and enjoy a sweet potato.
Cheryl L. Graffagnino MS, RD, LD is a registered dietitian in Columbus. Send your questions or comments to cheryl@eatsmartwith cheryl.com.